eldavojohn writes: According to AfterDawn, Google has given app makers the option to use a license server as DRM to ensure the user has paid for an app before they can download it. The report is that the market app will communicate with a Google license server using RSA encryption. It is important to note this is only available for non-free apps (built with SDK 1.5 and later) and it is instituted to provide a better solution to the old and widely criticized copy protection scheme that was criticized as susceptible to Android app piracy (like sideloading). For better or for worse, Android's Marketplace appears to now have an optional phone-home form of DRM.